Betsey Johnson

"I selected my college because thought I would be an artist or commercial illustrator; I never thought I'd be a designer. My major didn't impact my career in fashion. There is an advantage to attend design school because you'll learn the history of fashion, draping, sewing, and cutting, but I got more out of art school that I would out have out of fashion school because I could already cut and sew. It boils down to a lot of hard work and really loving what you do."

Photo courtesy of Shannon Sinclair.

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Joseph Altuzarra

"I chose Swarthmore because I wanted to learn about a lot of different things: psychology, sociology, and economics. I ended up majoring in art and art history, subjects that have always informed my design aesthetic process. I learned how to be a fashion designer through internships and work experience."

Photo courtesy of Joseph Altuzarra.

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Thakoon Panichgul

"I knew that I would be in New York after school, so I chose to study in Boston to get a different experience for college. I chose Boston University because of the amazing business school scholarship that I received. I sort of fell into studying business because I was good at it in high school, even though I knew I would end up eventually going into fashion. Having a business degree really helped me break into the industry because there's such a need for creative types to have a good business sense."

Photo courtesy of Thakoon.

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Rachel Comey

"I went to the University of Vermont where I studied studio art—mostly sculpture and printmaking. I had a minor in Asian studies, as it was a cross discipline minor that enabled me to take philosophy, art history, and geography classes, subjects that also interested me. I didn't really embrace my interest in fashion until I was a few years out of college and had explored several different areas of the arts. My early explorations of fine art and history contribute daily to my current focus on design."

Photo courtesy of Rachel Comey.

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Peter Som

"Connecticut College gave me the perfect mix of nurturing professors, small classes, and a neo-gothic East Coast campus that for me said, 'college.' My major was art history and I minored in studio art. Having this background helps me and inspires my collections to this day. I wouldn't trade my college experience for the world. Besides, at that age I personally was too young to handle coming directly to all the fabulous craziness that is New York City!"

Photo courtesy of Peter Som.

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Henry Holland

"I chose my college because it was in London, and I knew that it was where I had to be to pursue fashion. I chose my major because I was advised to do something as non-specific as possible, and it allowed me to hone my journalistic skills across a broad range of subject matters. I didn't utilize my degree for very long; three years after working in magazine journalism, I started my design company. My time spent at magazines helped me understand the press, and its importance to what I do now."

Photo courtesy of Henry Holland.

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Rachel Roy

"I attended Columbia Union College because it was the college my father put himself through as an adult and he strongly 'suggested' that I too attend. It is a Seventh Day Adventist college—very small and very strict-- but I enjoyed it and learned a lot. It moved me from Northern California to the East Coast (Washington D.C.). The balance of the two coasts and the lifestyles that they offer shows up in my work today. The college was so small that it didn't offer anything in fashion or design, so I majored in English and psychology. They are two areas that you need to be an expert in if you're in the world of fashion."

Photo courtesy of Rachel Roy.

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Lela Rose

"I chose the University of Colorado because I figured it would be a great way to ski for four years. I majored in fine arts and concentrated on sculpture and painting. I don't think I was good at anything else, and I certainly wasn't interested at that time in any other subjects. After college, I ended up going to Parsons, but my real college experience was in Boulder."

Photo courtesy of Lela Rose.

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Whitney Port

"I knew I wanted to attend USC, but they didn't offer a fashion major. I decided to focus on gender studies so I could learn more the history of how men and women have worked together and separately to create equality. As a female designer and businesswoman, the studies helped me realize how important women's empowerment is. I feel that the balance between what I learned through my jobs and internships in the fashion world paired with the studies and knowledge I gained from USC was a great base to help me in my career and my designs."

Photo courtesy of Whitney Port.

Careers

9 Fashion Designers on How They Chose Their College and Major

Not every path to a career in fashion involves a degree in design. Joseph Altuzarra, Betsey Johnson, and other top designers share why they loved pursuing a liberal arts education.